NURSE SUPPORTS MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN NEW JERSEY

To the Editor:

David Evans is clearly mistaken about medical marijuana is his
letter, "Marijuana: not medicine."

Evans said that "virtually all New Jersey medical organizations
oppose" the N.J. Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.

In 2002, the N.J. State Nurses Association adopted a resolution that
recognized the therapeutic value and safety of medically recommended
marijuana and urged the governor and state Legislature to move
expeditiously to make medical marijuana legally available to residents
who can benefit from it. The NJSNA has consistently testified in
support of medical marijuana.

The NJSNA represents more than 110,000 state RNs. Other healthcare
organizations that support the use of medical marijuana include the
N.J. Academy of Family Physicians, the N.J. Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Currently 25% of the U.S. population lives in a state that recognizes
medical marijuana. Hopefully, New Jersey will become the 14th state to
similarly protect its patients. In doing so, it will avoid the
travesty of justice in trials like the John Ray Wilson affair. Wilson
used marijuana to treat his multiple sclerosis and faces 20 years in a
state prison for doing so. Even more astonishing, the judge has ruled
that Wilson may not tell the jury that he has MS --the only reason he
used marijuana.

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey has been holding a
series of rallies outside the Somerset County courthouse in Somerville
in support of Wilson. The next rally is 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, which
represents the start of jury selection for the trial. See cmmnj.org
for more details.

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA

Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana
N.J.

Trenton